FATHER WHO STABBED HIS OWN SONS DURING BOXING DAY FAMILY ROW JAILED FOR UNLAWFUL WOUNDING
A father stabbed his own two sons during a Boxing Day row when they hit back at his use of transphobic and homophobic slurs.Robert Mitchell had been drinking with his two boys and his partner at their home in Wickersley on December 26, 2020, when the conversation turned to gay and transgender rights.
The Sheffield Crown Court heard that the 48-year-old and his partner made derogatory comments which one of their sons took offense to, stating he had several gay or transgender friends.
Prosecutor Eddison Flint said: “The defendant made comments that he did not like or understand these ‘types of people’.” Mitchell’s other son agreed and told his dad and stepmother to stop being “c***s”.
The defendant then stood up, leading to a confrontation with his son, which escalated into a fight that ended with Mitchell on the floor.
Mitchell, known to be a strong man trained in jujitsu, then lifted and slammed his son to the ground, causing back pain.
After the struggle eased, Mitchell appeared to sign a surrender by 'tapping out'.
However, he then went to the kitchen and returned with a small kitchen knife.
When told to put the knife back, he instead stabbed his son twice in the chest and torso.
His other son attempted to restrain his stepmother, who then complained of difficulty breathing, prompting Mitchell to turn the knife on him too.
The father stabbed his sons twice in the torso and twice in the arm pit.
The brothers ran out of the house and sought help from neighbors.
One spent three nights in hospital, fearing a perforated bowel, but it was confirmed he was unharmed; a victim impact statement revealed that the second stab wound was near his heart.
One son expressed a desire to reconcile, but felt betrayed when they tried to shift blame onto him and his brother.
Mitchell, of Warde-Aldam Crescent, Wickersley, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful wounding and was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison.
